Special Note:Worship services will be offered by Facebook LIVE. If the service is unavailable in this way, worship will also be accessible live via Zoom (no account required by either vendor). Details and links will be available here.
#SaintLukesConnected
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Be a Tartan Trot Sponsor
On Monday, Saint Luke's kicked off Tartan Trot sponsorship week! The Tartan Trot 5k/10k road race, scheduled for February 20, 2021, will support Saint Luke's mission work done locally and around the world. To learn more, check out Monday's email, featuring Saint Luke's youth member Grace Strickland and Tuesday's email featuring Saint Luke's member and current freshman at Georgia College and Statue University, Ainsley Brown. To learn more about how to become a sponsor, click here. A huge thanks to all of our 2021 sponsors thus far!
NEW! After Worship Gathering Time 11:30 am via Zoom
Starting this Sunday, Saint Luke's will be hosting a time for gathering and conversation following the 10:30 am online worship serve. Join us at 11:30 am via zoom! Click here to join, or go to Zoom and enter the following information:
Meeting ID: 825 4290 0662
Passcode: 1978
ICYMI: Update on Re-Gathering and Drive-in Church In case you missed it (ICYMI), the most recent re-gathering update (Sept. 11) from Senior Pastor Rev. Dr. David Lower can be viewed here. Or click here to read it.
ICYMI: Fall Kickoff Sessions In case you missed it (ICYMI), information from our Fall Kickoff Sessions, which were held on Sunday, Sept. 13, can be found here: Adults, Children and Youth. Check out all the details and information regarding groups and events!
Wanted: Saint Luke's College-Age Intern
Saint Luke's received a grant to help leadership formation in college-age young adults for fall. We are excited to offer this paid opportunity for people who are at least one year past their high school graduation date. This fall we will be hiring one person to join the programming team and dive deep into how God might use our gifts for leadership in the church. The intern does not need to be pursuing full-time ministry in the future to serve. Must be available to be physically present for potential gatherings on Sunday mornings and evenings and Wednesday evenings. For more details, click here. Job description and application can be found here.
Saint Luke's Initiates New Missionary Relationship
For many years, Saint Luke's was in a relationship with Cindy Morgan, MD, and Les Morgan, MD, Presbyterian medical missionaries in the Southern Asian Territory, helping to provide support through prayer and funding. The Morgans retired in the summer of 2019 after 30 years in Bangladesh.
Wanting to continue Saint Luke's support of work going on in that same part of the world, the Saint Luke's Outreach Committee has now initiated a relationship with mission co-workers, Rev. Elmarie and Rev. Scott Parker, who are based in Beirut and are Associates for Ecumenical Partnerships with the people of Iraq, Syria, and Lebanon. Elmarie's work focuses on strengthening and deepening relationships between the church in those three countries and Presbyterians in the USA. She is convinced that the the witness of Christian churches in the region is needed to contribute to a peaceful future in the Middle East. Scott serves with the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) as a writer in residence. He uses written story-telling to communicate the experiences and views of the Middle East church and people to Presbyterians in the USA and Europe. He also leads MECC efforts to respond to children traumatized by unrest and war in Iraq and Syria who now seek refuge in Lebanon.
Click here to to read more about Elmarie and Scott Parker. Click here to read a letter to Saint Luke's from them.
Check It Out! We're on YouTube!
Check out the Saint Luke's YouTube page for all things virtual going on at Saint Luke's. Watch what you may have missed or enjoy videos at your leisure. Check it out and make sure you SUBSCRIBE to our channel while you're there!
Men's Bible Study
Fridays at 6:45 am
The Friday morning Men's Bible Study is open to anyone! Join us on Zoom every Friday at 6:45 am for fellowship, followed by our study at 7 am with updates on attendees and prayer concerns. We finish at 8 am sharp. Questions? Contact Dan Joyce. Join by zoom here. Meeting ID: 989 7573 5837
Help Local Students and Schools During this Challenging Covid Time
Saint Luke's, along with representatives from other local churches, heard from principals, counselors, and parents about the varied and disparate needs of local students and teachers during this challenging time. In an effort to help, Saint Luke's has decided to work with Corners Outreach, an established, well-organized, thrifty (and nearby!) organization.
We're now seeking volunteers between the age of 15 and 115 to participate either virtually or in person. Thirty-minute opportunities with students from Kingsley Elementary and High Tower Elementary schools are available Monday - Thursday, between 2 - 5 p.m., to:
Serve as online reading buddies
Offer in-person homework support
Provide snacks and prizes for participating students
All are welcome to participate in music ministry during this virtual time! If you play and instrument or sing, we would enjoy including your talents in virtual worship.
ADULTS - Choir gatherings are every other Wednesday evening at 7 pm. Singers and ringers are welcome.
YOUTH - Keep up to date with what's happening by texting 81010 to @musicSLPC
CHILDREN AND FAMILIES - Click here to learn about our new Music and Arts resources called "In the Image." Contact Director of Music Clair Maxwell for more information about music at Saint Luke's.
Save the Date: Oct. 25 Trunk-n-Treat
Pending approval, Trunk-n-treat is tentatively scheduled for Oct. 25! So mark your calendar and keep checking Highlights for more information and details as we get closer to the date!
Godly Play and Dig In are back this fall! Beginning September 18, we will email all lessons/videos each Friday so that your family may learn whenever it's convenient.
3's through Kindergarten - Godly Play
These Bible story videos, recorded by folks familiar to our kids, will include the simple visual pieces that engage young children and spark their imaginations.
1st-5th Grades - Dig In
Kids have always loved Dig In, which features music videos, a story-starter video, and then a discussion about the story itself. We'll also offer an optional family follow-up activity like a game or a fun object lesson.
SUNDAY, Sept. 20: Jackbox Game Night via zoom. Check the youth email and calendar for details and zoom link!
GriefShare Virtual Support Groups
Experiencing grief due to the loss of a loved one is especially challenging during this time of social distancing. GriefShare, a support group model Saint Luke's has offered in the past, is now offering virtual 13-week grief support groups for those in need. We have partnered with Mt. Bethel United Methodist Church, who has invited our members to take advantage of their upcoming online group.
When: beginning Wednesday, October 07, 2020 * 7:00 pm - 8:15 pm and continuing for 13 weeks.
Where: This particular series will be offered on Zoom.
Cost: There is no charge for this series, but you will need to order a workbook from the GriefShare website that will cost about $20. Scholarships are available.
Brandon Lane, right, cleaned for the 2018 NCAA National Championship.
THANK YOU to All of Our Front Line Heroes
We are so grateful for all the front line workers in our community! This week, we spotlight Saint Luke's member Brandon Lane. If you are a front line worker, please let us know so we can show you some Saint Luke's love!
Name: Brandon Lane
Occupation: Custodial Services, Director of Operations
What inspired or led you to do what you are doing?
I don't know if I was inspired or led to what I'm doing; in all honesty I probably fell into it. I'd been trying to make it as an actor for a few years out in California, but not having much luck returned home to Georgia. My parents -particularly my father- wanted to know what my plan was. While I tried to figure it out, I went to my first homecoming since graduating from Presbyterian College. Go Blue Hose! I ran into a fraternity brother who worked for a small janitorial services company and said they were looking for help. The company has grown considerably in the intervening years and fifteen years later I'm still here. (Moral of the story for grads and those seeking employment: stay involved and enjoy spending time with folks-you never know when someone from your past may play an important role in your future!)
What is the biggest challenge about your job, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic?
On a day-to-day basis, it's probably organizing folks and getting everyone to work together. We regularly have units of more than 100 staffers, and it can be a challenge to get everyone on the same page. But when folks come together and work as a team, amazing things can happen.
In terms of COVID, just about everything: from ensuring our workers safety to the safety of inhabitants of a facility, to keeping up with the latest information on the virus, to making sure we're implementing the most current and effective cleaning practices--there are so many moving pieces. Part of the issue is that this is a new virus. As such we're all trying to figure out how to deal with it, protect folks from it, combat it, and live with some semblance of normalcy.
What is the best thing about your job and/or what brings you satisfaction in your work and/ or what motivates you to keep doing what you are doing?
We clean for a number of collegiate athletics programs. Following football games, there are stadiums where we clean up after fifty to more than a hundred thousand fans. Sometimes that also means cleaning up as much as eight hundred acres of a campus. If you've been to a college football game and looked around as you leave, you know there's a lot of trash. Tons of it. Our company is responsible for cleaning everything up and returning a stadium and the surrounding campus back to normal. It's a lot of work and it ain't glamorous, but it is mighty satisfying to get everything clean.
What's one thing you wish people knew about your job?
I think it's probably just about the people in the janitorial trade. I don't think many folks look at the janitorial trade as something terribly admirable. But in my experience, there are a lot of cleaners who are very dedicated and hard working-and are admirable individuals. These people all have their own stories and should be respected as for their commitment and effort.
Describe a typical day for you.
I'm not sure there is a typical day. Every day is different-which can be both wonderful and awful. In theory the job is 9-5, but in reality I'm on the clock all of the time and might be working or taking calls in the middle of the night. I regularly meet with clients who run facilities, but I also deal with individuals who may be worth millions or others who don't even have a place to call home. Somewhere in there, I regularly find myself coaching up cleaners for facilities, events, and stadium. Every now and again, I find myself hurling trash into the back of a garbage truck (if you ever have the opportunity to do this, don't open your mouth. When the truck compacts, it has a tendency to spray whatever liquid is on it's floor backwards. Yuck!). Whatever I'm doing, I try to appreciate the fact that there's a good amount of variety to the job and I have some great coworkers.
Sept. 28: Tavern Talks
8-9 pm, via Zoom
Men of Saint Luke's - please join Senior Pastor David Lower for Tavern Talks on Monday Sept. 28, from 8 - 9 pm by ZOOM. Serve yourself a preferred beverage and stay safely at home with friends! Will be great to catch up, and share struggles and triumphs during the pandemic.
Great news! Now you can help protect others and yourself while sharing God's love. These 3-ply 100% cotton masks are available for purchase at $5 each. Click here to order as many as you need: https://slpres.org/masks/. Orders placed by Sunday evening of each week will be available for pick-up on Wednesday of the following week beginning at 3 pm. Look for the bin located just outside the main lobby entrance. All orders will be labeled by name.
CAC Still Seeking Donations
Saint Luke's continues to hold a special food drive in support of CAC (Community Assistance Center), which is in critical need of these items. With the church being closed, please deliver items to church member Bob Schultz, at 1660 Kings Down Cir, Dunwoody GA 30338. For more information, including alternate to physical donations, click here.
UPDATE: Please leave donations on the front porch, keeping in mind social distancing. Also, due to heat, please no perishables.
Join us every Wednesday at 10 am for the Wayfarers Bible Study! Join by Zoom here. PW is 1978.
Weekly Time for Prayer
Thursdays at Noon
In these weighty times, we will gather virtually for a time of prayer every Thursday at noon. Join by Zoom here. Feel free to light a candle as we hear scripture and pray together.
Be a Tartan Trot Sponsor 
Help Local Students and Schools During this Challenging Covid Time
Wayfarers Bible Study 
